Anger Management Trends

As the title implies, this site will continually update changes and trends in anger management services, research,referrals and provider training. In addition, books,CDs,videos and DVDs used in anger management programs will be introduced.

Monday, December 31, 2007

Anderson & Anderson® Now a Registered Trademark

In an effort to protect the integrity of our name, products and services, we have registered the Anderson & Anderson® name. All written references to the Anderson & Anderson® name will be followed by the registered symbol above. Our services and products will be followed by the trademark symbol™.

We request that all Anderson & Anderson® certified providers make the appropriate changes on your websites and blogs to reflect these new developments.

Friday, December 28, 2007

FROM ANGER TO RAGE

By: Colbért B. Williams, Sr., MSW, LCSW, CAMF

It is with profound sadness that this article is being written. On the “World Stage,” a prominent political figure was assassinated today, December 27, 2007. My sincerest condolences to her family, friends, associates and the world we live in. Again, to follow-up on the title questions in a recently published article on my website Blog: “Executive Coaching/Anger Management Intervention-Who? What? When? Where? Why?” The answers to the title questions are becoming increasingly relevant and salient.

When discussing and marketing Anger Management and Executive Coaching/Anger Management intervention services, the aforementioned questions are consistently posed. In many rebuttals and discussions, the concept of “Profiling” emerges as to, “Who?” is the identified referent. After a substantial number of years of post Masters trainings and “In the Trenches” direct clinical experience in the domains of Disruptive, Abusive and Violent Cognitive, Emotional and Behavioral characteristics and traits, the answers evolved and are very salient and validated. “There Is No Profile,” to “Who” should receive or would benefit from Anger Management or Executive Coaching/Anger Management intervention services. Furthermore, “There Is No Profile,” to the remaining four title questions, “What? When? Where? Why?”

The Anderson & Anderson Models of Anger Management and Executive Coaching/Anger Management clearly delineate and teach the “Transitional Dynamics” of Anger. For Certified Anderson & Anderson Providers of Anger Management and selectively Certified Executive Coaches, the effectiveness of the Anger Management curriculum authored by Mr. George Anderson is “cutting edge,” and phenomenally “Timely.” Anger and Rage are international social, workplace and personal phenomena’s that are occurring in noted frequencies and with volatile and tragic results. What are the solutions to the aforementioned international phenomena’s? The internationally recognized Anderson & Anderson Models of Anger Management and Executive Coaching/Anger Management interventions. As a member of the Anderson & Anderson Team, the etiology and basis of this author’s perspectives are from a significant number of years of relevant in-depth academic undergraduate and graduate studies, continued post Masters Trainings and Licensed clinical professional experiences; along with a significant number of years of personal and life experiences. Visit the Anderson & Anderson website; http://www.andersonservices.com, for more detailed information.

As mentioned in many of my articles, the ideal is, “Pro-Active” Anger Management or Executive Coaching/Anger Management intervention services. However, “At-Need” Anger Management or Executive Coaching/Anger Management intervention services are very relevant and effective. Visit our website; http://www.executiveandlifecoaching.com; or call; 866-726-7881, for more detailed information and professional services.

Court Approved Los Angeles Anger Management Provider List for January through June 2008

In Los Angeles, CA on December 28, 2007, the Official Anger Management Providers List for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County (and its branches) has been mailed to all courts and is now available for download from the Anderson & Anderson website. This list includes all providers who have completed 40 hours of facilitator certification training and use client workbooks, as well as the Conover Anger Management Pre and Post Tests. Human resource managers have been utilizing services from Anderson & Anderson and its anger management providers in Los Angeles County for more than seventeen years. This list has been revised and updated periodically to reflect the current status of anger management providers utilizing the Anderson & Anderson model of anger management intervention.

This list has been mailed to all of the Criminal and Family Law Courts in Los Angeles County as well as prosecuting attorneys from the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office, and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office.

Anderson & Anderson, Inc. does not assume any responsibility for the quality of services provided by each provider. However, each provider has been trained by Anderson & Anderson and is expected to adhere to the standards recognized by the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Providers who do not adhere to these standards and are not actively utilizing the Anderson & Anderson Anger Management curriculum will be removed from future updates/revisions of the providers list. Unsuspecting consumers are often victimized by untrained charlatans claiming to offer anger management. It is necessary to be sure that the program you enroll in is offering a legitimate service recognized by the court system. The bailiff or court clerk will provide a copy of the list of certified providers upon request. You may download your own copy at http://www.andersonservices.com/providersLACounty.html.

If you would like more information or want to schedule an interview with George Anderson, please contact us at 310-207-3591.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Anger Management Trends for 2008

Just as 2007 topped all of the years before, it is almost a certainty that 2008 will do the same. As one of the elder statesmen in anger management and executive coaching, here are my predictions for the year 2008:

1.) Legislation will be introduced, passed and signed into law in California, mandating standards for Certified Anger Management Providers. Other states like Texas will quickly follow California’s lead.

2.) Prisons and Jails throughout the nation will begin providing anger management to all inmates whose offenses include aggression or violence.

4.) New York and Chicago will follow the lead of the Los Angeles Unified School District in providing anger management in after school programs as well as Adult Education Programs. Many smaller school districts will contract out for these services.

5.) Large, small and medium sized businesses will recognize that anger management is a cost saving intervention and move to offer anger management in their staff development programs.

6.) Employee assistance professionals will be forced to concede their lack of training and experience in anger management and seek to include anger management as one of the core courses for the CEAP certification.

7.) Legislation introduced in the last session of the Texas State Legislature by Senator Whitmire from Houston, requiring anger management for all middle school students, will be passed and implemented in Texas.

8.) Anderson & Anderson will revise its popular anger management curriculum, making it consistent with the new California Legislation.

9.) Providers with limited training and curricula in executive coaching for physicians will quickly recognize their limitations and seek additional training and certification in this new niche in anger management.

10.) Anderson & Anderson will develop a new curriculum for executive coach certification training. This training will focus on executive coaching/anger management for physicians.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Year End Comments from Colbert Williams

The accomplishments you have made along with your select Certified Anger Management Providers have been nothing less than Phenomenal. I will post them on my website blog. With your/our continued visions, energy and relentless pursuits of saturating and dominating the market with the Anderson & Anderson Models of Executive Coaching and Anger Management, 2008 will truly be a “Banner Year” for Executive Coaching/Anger Management intervention services for Physicians and all “High Profile” professionals provided by you and your personally selected, highly trained, with significant and relevant clinical experiences, Licensed, Certified Anderson & Anderson Executive Coaches/Anger Management Providers. You have “Set the Standard” and “Raised the Bar.” “Let the Referrals and Contracts Begin!”

I am preparing and looking forward to hitting the ground running in 2008.

I Thank You from the Bottom of My Heart for your Phenomenal and Altruistic Mentoring, Trust, Executive Coaching referrals, Partnering in our Joint Ventures with Metro, Wal-Mart, the County of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and Senator (Ret) David Roberti, Esq. I equally thank Nancy and your family for their Trust, Belief and Support in our business relationships and ventures. You are truly, “One In A Million!”

Wishing you and your Family a Very Merry Christmas and a Most Happy, Healthy, Safe and Prosperous New Year!!!

Gregory Kyles, Colbert Williams and George Anderson along with Shannon Munford participated in a successful viral marketing campaign that branded the Anderson & Anderson model as the curriculum of choice worldwide.

•Carlos Todd, as President of the American Association of Anger Management Providers was selected by CBS News to comment on anger as a factor in 9/11.

•Greg Kyle received approval as an anger management provider by the Probation Department for the Houston Region.

•George Anderson is featured in the December, 2007 issue of Los Angeles Magazine under the title “Free Advice from people who charge a lot”.

Three articles by George Anderson were published in the JACHO news regarding “disruptive physicians”.

•The Los Angeles Unified School District introduces the Anderson & Anderson Anger Management Curriculum in all of its Adult Education High Schools.

•George Anderson successfully adds a one day in vivo observation to its two day Executive Coaching/anger Management course for physicians. This recommendation was made by one of Anderson & Anderson’s Physician clients.

•The curriculum for “disruptive physicians” used by Anderson & Anderson is now accepted by hospitals and Medical Boards nationwide.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

What to Look For in an Executive Coach for Physicians

In April 1, 2007, the JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations) established standards for all American Hospitals relative to disruptive physicians.

These new standards have opened a floodgate for psychologists, psychiatrists and coaches to become immediate experts on providing intervention for “disruptive physicians” with or without credible training or experience.

Some tips for selecting a reputable provider:

-What is the intervention model used?-Does the model include an assessment component?-Is the assessment specifically designed for anger, stress, communication and empathy?-Does the model include a Pre and Post Test?-Is Aftercare included?-Does the intervention include psychotherapy or psychotropic medication?-Is the intervention provided on-site?-Does the intervention include envivo observation?-Ask for a list of Hospitals for which the provider has provided this intervention.-See if the provider is listed with the Federation of Medical Licensing Boards.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Hospital administrators and doctors nationwide are experiencing problems in establishing and implementing the new JCAHO standards regarding “disruptive behavior” for physicians. Physicians are appropriately concerned over any possible damage to their future careers as the result of having been referred by their credential committee, physician well-being committee or any other disciplinary unit or hospital administration for “disruptive behavior”. Therefore, they have argued forcefully for all types of written assurances to protect themselves from risk.

One of the consequences of this squabbling is the delay in the implementation of these new standards. Some of the new policies appear to stall actions against any physician accused of disruptive behavior for at least six months. The physician becomes the subject of a survey taken by other physicians and staff associates. Other staff members in the physician’s specialty area are asked to respond to a series of questions regarding his or her demeanor in relation to patient care and interpersonal interaction. The goal is to see if the physician is able to make changes in his or her behavior without intervention. If positive changes are reported, the survey is repeated in three months and a decision is made to dismiss the action or to order anger management.

What is clear so far is that psychological/psychiatric intervention is not seen as an acceptable remedy for disruptive behavior by any of the new policies that are being adopted. All physicians routinely reject any record of intervention, which implies treatment for mental or nervous disorders. This is a reasonable strategy since anger is not a pathological condition. Rather, according to the American Psychiatric Association, anger is a “lifestyle issue” that is generally stress related. It is not a diagnosable mental or nervous disorder.

Anger is a normal human emotion, which is a problem when it is too intense, occurs too frequently, lasts too long, is harmful to one’s health, leads to person-directed aggression or damages interpersonal relationships.

To date, it appears that physicians are more comfortable with individual coaching designed to teach skills in recognizing anger, stress, assertive communication, and enhancing emotional intelligence.

Anger management is or should be a class which begins with a series of objective assessments for anger, stress, communication and emotional intelligence and is followed by individual coaching or classes designed to teach enhancement skills in the same four areas mentioned above.

There is absolutely nothing which can be perceived as negative in learning to recognize and manage stress and anger as well as enhancing skills in assertive communication and emotional intelligence.

Those physicians who have participated in Executive Coaching/Anger Management for Physicians quickly recognize the value of this type of intervention and actually endorse the this type of non-psychiatric intervention.

Physicians from the following hospitals have successfully completed the above model of intervention:

Monday, December 17, 2007

Stalling Tactics used by Some Physician Groups against JCAHO Standards

“Standards set by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations can help medical staffs deal with disruptive physician behavior in a fair, organized fashion. Should a physician’s disruptive behavior reflect a health problem, the JCAHO standards go further to require the medical staff to implement a process to identify and manage the individual physician’s health-related matters. In some cases disruptive behavior may be reasonably interpreted to require anger and/or stress management or formal behavioral counseling and monitoring.”Michael D. Youssi

Physicians accused of “disruptive behavior” are organizing to develop stalling tactics to delay being held accountable for alleged “disruptive behavior’ by hospital committees responsible for disciplining doctors. While the new standards were introduced in April, many hospitals have been unable to institute these new requirements because of the opposition of some physician groups.

The 360-Degree Feedback, which is a respected technique in coaching, is being used to delay, for at least 6 months, any action against physicians whose behaviors are defined as “disruptive”. The 360-Degree Feedback refers to a process in which data is collected from multiple sources or multiple raters surrounding the person being assessed. Respondents may include self, supervisor, reporting employees, peers, and, in some cases vendors/clients. Applications include performance appraisal, professional development, succession planning, assessing organizational climate, and targeted competency areas specific to the individual being assessed.

Physicians who are mandated to enroll in a coaching program for anger are given an opportunity to opt for the above assessment which will be conducted twice over a 6 month period. If the initial assessment does not indicate “bad behavior” on the part of the physician, any further action against him or her is dismissed. If the assessment indicates problem behavior, the physician is given another three months to change the behavior in question. If the 6 month assessments suggest the need for professional help, the physician is then mandated to enroll in an anger management coaching program.

It is likely that a careful, objective monitoring of this novel program will reveal that it is a stalling tactic rather than a reasonable response for “disruptive behavior”.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Anger Management for Physicians has Become One of the Fastest-Growing Disciplines in Executive Coaching

Undoubtedly, this is fueled by the new JCAHO requirements for “disruptive physicians”, which went into effect on April 1, 2007. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Hospitals issued new guidelines for all hospitals relative to “disruptive physicians”. This requirement calls for hospitals to establish written policy to deal with this growing impediment to patient care and treatment and team effectiveness.

Because of the complex issues involved in working with physicians, Anderson & Anderson, Inc. has decided against referring this client population to our network of anger management providers. This is based on their limited training and experience in coaching physicians and lack of knowledge of medical establishments. As a consequence of this decision, the in-house faculty at Anderson & Anderson has and will continue to provide on-site coaching for “disruptive physicians” nationwide.

With demand for anger-management coaching outstripping the supply of trained providers, it’s important to vet providers very carefully. Anger issues exhibited by “disruptive physicians” touch on a variety of issues—stress management, anger management, emotional intelligence, communication etc., and sometimes cross into the realm of psychology. In order to avoid situations where the coach slips into becoming a psychotherapist, we have decided that is best to limit our coaches for physicians to Licensed, Experienced, and Clinically trained coaches.

As hospital administrators and directors increasingly recognize the benefit of anger management, they are pushing it downward into their organizations and to all physicians who are in need of it. More and more of our clients are now recommending executive coaching of anger management to high-potentials at junior and executive levels.

A list of hospitals for which we have provided coaching are listed below:

Partial Executive Coaching/anger Management Hospital Client List

St. John’s HospitalSanta Monica, California

Cedar-Sinai Medical CenterLos Angeles, California

Santa Monica Hospital CenterSanta Monica, California

Midway HospitalLos Angeles, California

McHenry HospitalMcHenry, Texas

Harlingen Baptist Hospital and Medical CenterHarlingen, Texas

Hospital Corporation of AmericaRichmond, Virginia

Kaiser PermanenteCalifornia

UCLA Medical CenterLos Angeles

Southwest Georgia Health SystemBrunswick, GA.

John C. Lincoln HospitalPhoenix, AZ

For more information about our Executive Coaching/anger Management for Physicians, please visit our website at http://www.andersonservices.com/ or contact our office at 310-207-3591.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Onsite Training in Anger Management

Anderson & Anderson on-site workshops or presentations regarding anger management are now available nationwide for businesses of all sizes. These are available in half-day or full-day format. Workshops are developed to meet the specific needs of the audience. Generally, each workshop will begin with the Conover Anger Management Assessment. This assessment is a map which provides a baseline of the participant’s level of functioning in recognizing and managing anger, stress, communication skills and emotional intelligence. A fifth category is ‘motivation to change’. Feedback regarding the results of this assessment is given in a group format while preserving confidentiality.

Workshops involve formal presentation, active participant engagement, DVDs, role-play and shared discussion. A copy of the popular Anderson & Anderson workbook, ‘Gaining Control of Ourselves’ is included in all workshops along with ‘Tips for Managing Anger’. The Anderson & Anderson model of anger management/executive coaching is the most widely used anger management curriculum in the world. For a partial list of our client companies, please visit our website, www.andersonservices.com.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence is a neat metaphor that borrows from the notion of IQ. It implies that some people are better at handling emotions than others. It also hints that you might be able to increase your EQ. Practically, it offers a useful set of guidelines for doing just this.

Self-awareness

Being emotionally self-aware means knowing how you feel in “real time.” Self-knowledge is the first step in being able to handle emotions. If you can see them and name them, then you at least then have a chance to do something about them.

Emotional literacy

Emotional literacy means being able to label emotions precisely. This includes the emotions of others and especially yourself. It also means being able to talk about emotions without getting overly emotional or (as happens with many people) denying them. Emotional literacy is not using ‘I feel…’ statements to offer opinions, ideas, etc. Thus ‘I feel that is a good idea’ is not emotional literacy, whilst ‘I feel angry’ is.

Empathy & compassion

Empathy is the ability to feel and understand the emotions of others. If you can empathize, you can engender trust, as people desperately want to be understood at the emotional level. All great nurturers major in empathy and compassion. It also means appreciating and accepting differences between people, accepting that we have different priorities and capabilities around emotion.

Balance

The ability to balance emotion and reason in making decisions leads to good decisions. Emotion should not be abandoned, lest cold and callous decisions are made. Nor should logic be abandoned unless you want a wishy-washy outcome.

Responsibility

Emotional Intelligence means taking primary responsibility for your own emotions and happiness. You cannot say that others “made” you feel the way you feel. Although they may be instrumental, the responsibility is yours, just as if you kill someone, there is no argument that says that someone else made you do it.

So What

Emotions are some of the main things that derail communication and persuasion. Once people start getting upset at one another, rationalism goes out of the window. If you can identify and control your own emotions, you have good chance of winning any argument. If you can sense the emotions of others, you have a chance to change them. And of course it all starts with yourself and your own emotions…

Monday, December 10, 2007

Major School District Adds Anger Management Classes

The Los Angeles Unified School District is the third largest school district in the nation. Therefore, it is often a trend setter in public education nationwide.

According to LAUSD Adult Education Coordinator, Swanzi Saunders, “Those of us in adult education have received many requests over a number of years to offer anger management as a part of our course offerings for the entire district. We finally decided that now is the time to offer this much needed course”.

Mrs. Saunders announced plans to offer the Anderson & Anderson Anger Management Curriculum in 20 local Adult High Schools beginning in January. It will quickly be expanded district wide as educators receive certification in this model.

LAUSD joins other school districts in California, Texas, New York and other states in adopting the Anderson & Anderson model of anger management for use in teaching skills in managing anger and stress, as well enhancing skills in assertive communication and emotional intelligence.

Friday, December 07, 2007

The professional staff at Anderson & Anderson recently experimented with the inclusion of a third day of en vivo observation into its regular two day, 12 hour executive coaching/anger management intervention for physicians. The success of this new format proved to be invaluable in providing a deeper understanding of the institutional factors that may contribute to “disruptive behavior” in physicians and/or its eradication.

Our highly trained, Licensed, Certified Coaches will come to your facility and spend a full workday unobtrusively observing the physician participant as he or she performs surgery, makes rounds, trains residents/interns, interacts with patients and family members, as well as ancillary staff and colleagues. We will attempt to understand the environment of the participant from first hand observations.

In addition to feedback for the physician, we will, when requested, offer feedback and recommendations to the referring source regarding organizational issues gleaned from the observations. Such input will likely result in improved interpersonal interactions between team members and a reduction in tension and conflict.

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Stress Often Masquerades as Depression or Anxiety

Many of the symptoms of stress are the same or similar to those of clinical depression or anxiety. Therefore, it is essential for persons suffering from stress to first attempt to manage stress before incorrectly assuming that the symptoms experienced are indications of depression or anxiety.

It is worth noting that both depression and anxiety are diagnosable mental disorders, as well as symptoms of a wide range of other clinical syndromes. For example, depression, anxiety and stress are all prominent symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They may also be symptoms of bi-polar disorder. Alternatively, any of these three symptoms are frequently symptoms of stress or anger. Neither stress nor anger is a mental or nervous disorder.

Research in cardiology conducted at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, and at the Mayo Clinic, reveals a strong relationship between unrecognized and untreated stress and/or anger with heart attacks and strokes, especially among males.

Dealing with Workplace Stress

By Trevor Dumbleton

One of the hardest forms of stress to avoid is workplace stress. After all, you need to go to work and there are plenty of things to worry about once you get there. However, that does not mean that workplace stress is unavoidable. Just like other kinds of stress, there are ways to manage workplace stress and there are ways to avoid it. Maybe you cannot avoid it entirely, but that is no reason not to try.

Workplace stress usually takes the form of everything needing to get done right now. You know the situation, there are a dozen things on your plate and they all need attention, but there are only so many hours in the day and you cannot attend to everything all at once. On top of that, the boss is breathing down your neck, asking you where the report/plan/program is and he also has a pile of other tasks for you once you finish that. It is a never-ending cycle, but it can be managed.

The first thing you need to do to avoid workplace stress is to focus on one task at a time. Do not try to multi-task, as it jars your system. Switching gears between projects does make demands on your brain and it takes a moment to change your thoughts from one place to another. Instead, if you focus on one project, you can keep your thoughts and energy in one place, preventing you from having to shift gears too often.

However, the big problem with trying to keep your focus is your coworkers. They will always be asking you for a quick minute or they will want you to answer their question, or they will want you to come over and help them on something. Try to deflect these as much as possible, as these can distract your focus. Thus, you must learn to say, "no." This is a highly effective word, though you may want to change it to, "No, not right now," or, "As soon as I am done with this." These little phrases can at least buy you some time to finish what you are doing, then switch comfortably to the needs of your coworkers.

There is another cause of workplace stress that can also cause you all manner of difficulty and that is when your concentration runs out. Oftentimes, you may find yourself focusing on the same page or the same computer screen for minutes at a time and you still have no idea what it is supposed to mean. This is not good, as it means that you are not being effective, your brain has shut down and the deadline is looming over you and you just need to get through this. Your best plan at this point is to walk away from your desk. Get up, get a cup of coffee (but not too often, as caffeine can heighten stress), go to the bathroom, anything. Walk the corridors for a minute or two and clear the cobwebs. This is highly effective both for ensuring that you are getting work done and for keeping workplace stress to a minimum.

Another way to prevent workplace stress is to learn some desk exercises. These can be simply squeezing a stress ball, or performing a few stretches while you are at your desk. By working your muscles at your desk, you can improve your circulation and help your keep alert and aware at work. Obviously, you are not going to get a full body workout while you are pecking at a keyboard, but it can help you at least keep your mind focused.

Finally, while you are at work you should examine your environment to see if it is right for you. How is the noise level? Is your desk set up properly? Are you comfortable? Is everything set up so that it is ergonomically correct? Your body needs to be comfortable if you want to work without distraction and distractions can lead to workplace stress. Thus, your work area needs to be set up for you. Take care of the little things around you and you will be able to work confidently and work well.

Workplace stress is, in many ways, part of working. However, by managing workplace stress properly, you can at least keep it to a minimum. And by doing that, work will be much more pleasant and you will be much more productive. So take care of yourself and the area around you and workplace stress will not control your day.

Defining Emotional Intelligence

Our EQ, or Emotional Intelligence, is the capacity for effectively recognizing and managing our own emotions and those of others. Emotions have the potential to get in the way of our most important business and personal relationships.

According to John Kotter of Harvard Business School, ‘because of the furious pace of change in business today, difficult to manage relationships sabotage more business than anything else-it is not a question of strategy that gets us into trouble, it is a questions of emotions’.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Intensive Assessments are the Key to Success in Coaching for Physicians

Hospitals and medical practices throughout the United States are beginning to implement the new Joint Commission Standards for “disruptive physicians”. Anderson & Anderson is currently the major provider of Executive Coaching/anger Management for Physicians in the nation.

Out On-site coaching for “disruptive physicians” has provided us the opportunities to get an inside look at the work environments of participating doctors. The most startling finding to date is the degree to which stress and burnout are factors in decreasing the resiliency of these physicians to appropriately manage anger and use assertive rather than aggressive communication. Stress also tends to erode empathic responses to colleagues, ancillary staff and patients.

We have learned that it is our extensive assessment at the beginning of the intervention which quickly breaks through resistance and denial of the presenting complaint. Our assessments can be provided on-line or administered in person.

The assessments which are a part of the Anderson & Anderson model are designed to examine in a through manner, the doctors’ level of current functioning in recognizing and managing anger, stress, assertive communication and empathy/emotional intelligence.

The obvious reliability of the three non-psychological assessments used tends to immediately reduce any opposition on the part of the physician to engage in the coaching process. In fact, most physicians are relieved to receive help for the debilitating impact of “disruptive behavior”.

So They Say You Have An Anger Problem… Now What?

By Tanya James, M.Ed., CAMF

Uncontrolled anger can become a major barrier to a harmonious life. It can cause major damage in our personal, social and professional lives. The ways we handle anger and stress are learned responses. In other words, our reactions to difficult and stressful situations are largely based on how we observed our caregivers or other important people in our lives handle difficult and stressful situations. For example, if we had a mother that became verbally aggressive because she was stressed out, we may tend to do the same thing. What if we consistently saw our parents allow minor problems cause them major stress? Odds are we will grow up doing the same thing. Growing up around people that used fighting as a way to solve conflicts with other people could have taught us that we should use violence to solve our disputes instead of talking things out to find mutual resolutions.

The good news about maladaptive behaviors/reactions such as uncontrolled anger is that they can be readjusted into coping strategies that are more effective. There are several steps that you can take in order to get your anger under control. The first step is to identify what your anger triggers are. Anger triggers are those situations that frequently lead to you becoming mad.

The following exercise will help you identify your triggers and is a simple yet effective way to begin getting on the right track with managing anger. It can easily be adapted for identifying other emotions such as stress and anxiety among others.

Identifying Anger Triggers

1. Think back to the last time you became really angry. What happened?

2. Were there other emotions that came right before you became angry? Anger is a secondary emotion so you probably felt something else first such as embarrassment, betrayal, and shame, ect. See if you can identify what emotion came before your anger.

3. In the past 6 months how many times has a similar situation presented itself with similar results?

4. Think of other times when you have “lost it” and make a list of what happened in those situations that cause you to become so upset.

5. See if you can identify some commonalities among these situations.

The final list is a list of anger triggers. Once you have this list you should have more insight into what situations typically lead to you losing control on your emotions. Now that you have this list you can move forward with doing more work to get your anger under control. More to come.

Group Facilitation for Anger Management Classes

I have worked with small groups that have gathered to undertake work that would be impossible for one person to do alone. These groups have generally focused on four areas: professional training using a seminar format, group psychotherapy, consultation groups and didactic anger management classes.In most of these situations, I have been asked to act as facilitator or trainer. In the seminar groups, I am clearly the trainer. In the other formats, I am the facilitator who assists the group in gaining from the unique experience of learning and sharing in a group. In French, the word facile means “easy.” It is the aim of facilitators to make the work of a group easy. This involves coming up with a plan and process that will help participants accomplish their goals. In all of the groups in which I have participated, I have found it useful to provide participant workbooks with an outline and, when possible, ancillary videos and other visual learning material. Facilitation involves helping people co-operate and act collectively. When a group works together in this way, they experience many benefits, including:

Synergy: The energy or motivation to work on the task is better or higher than working on the same task in isolation.Positive outcomes: By using the collected experiences of many individuals, the quality of what is produced is higher than if it had been attempted by one person.Broader impact: Each person in the group interacts with others outside the group, broadening the impact of the work.Greater resources: The individuals in a group can pool their knowledge, information, personal experiences, and other resources to help the collective do its work.

In this article, I will share some suggestions that may help you strengthen your group facilitation skills relative to anger management, stress management, communication and emotional intelligence.

Prior to the Meeting

Effective facilitation involves 80 percent preparation and 20 percent presentation. Facilitators should make themselves aware of any factors that may hinder or help the group’s work. Make sure to review the material to be discussed and establish continuity between sessions. Be thorough, using what I call the “three p’s for planning”: participants, purpose, and process. Find out as much as possible about participants (those who will be attending) and the results of their assessments. Ask questions and learn as much as you can from the facilitator who conducted the assessment. Remind the participants as each session that the purpose of the program is to teach skills to enhance their skills in recognizing and managing anger, stress, communication, emotional intelligence and emotional intelligence.As you develop this statement, keep in mind that groups often establish unrealistic goals for themselves, only to be mired in the reality of their circumstances. Realistic goals are those based on the nature of the task, the number of participants, and the time available. Achieving practical plans will enable groups to experience a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction that can give them the motivation they need to complete their task. (That is why it is important for facilitators to remember that the work is theirs, not ours. They will be responsible for that work after they have completed the required number of sessions.As you prepare to work with your group, remember that every group deserves your unconditional respect and love. This is the spiritual side of all small group facilitation. Envision success for the group even before meeting them. If you do this, you are more likely to be effective in helping the group develop or enhance skills in managing anger, stress, assertive communication and increasing emotional intelligence.

At the Start of the Meeting

Plan to begin your meeting with a welcome, a goal statement, an explanation of the agenda, and group introductions. New members should be introduced last and asked to share their control log and assessment summary as well. Old members should be asked to summarize their experience in the group and further goals during their attendance.It is extremely useful to have each person say something within the first 10 percent of your time together. This helps each participant find her or his voice in the group. Short activities with this goal are known as climate setters, icebreakers, and warm-ups. A start-up activity can relate directly to the task or generate information about group members’ lives outside the group. I often begin by referring to the goal and agenda of the group and then ask everyone to introduce themselves briefly with their name and one reason they are participating in the program. Be sure to clarify roles at the beginning of any meeting, including the expectations of the facilitator’s role compared with that of participants. Have participants answer these three questions:

-What are your expectations of yourself?-What are your expectations of other group members?-What are your expectations of the group facilitator?

Discussing these questions will help surface realistic perceptions of your role as a facilitator and increase the likelihood of group ownership of the task. Ask members to share their thoughts in small groups of three or four and to prioritize two or three key expectations for the different roles. This activity will lead to a series of statements that can help the group to arrive at a mutual understanding of the facilitator as process guide and participants as owners and contributors to the task. Mutually agreed-upon statements of roles can be posted and used as a reference throughout the life of the group. Check in on group agreements regularly. This will ensure smooth functioning for the facilitator and the group.

Structuring the Meeting

After the group has completed its introductions, the facilitator presents a sequence of activities and discussions, which are contained in the client, work books. To the extent possible, material in the client workbook should be personalized to those in attendance.

The Importance of Ancillary Material for Visual Learners

It is essential to use the Contrasting Wheels of Behavior as well as the related DVDs and other visual material when conducting anger management groups.

Keeping the Group on Track

One of the major tasks of the facilitator is to keep the group focused on the task of the group and the material in the client workbooks. It is critical to deter the group from unrelated material. This is easy to day by simply stating, “Our discussion has to remain on the topics in the workbook.

Disruptive Participants

Often, people who want to improve their facilitation skills identify problem behaviors displayed by participants. They want to learn how to deal with the behaviors so those behaviors no longer hinder the group. I hesitate to spend time thinking about what to do when things go wrong in a group. I believe if we do a good job of staying with the topics in the workbooks, preparing and planning, we greatly increase the likelihood that people will stay on track. Your own enthusiasm for knowing the task and the process, and your confidence that the group will be effective in achieving this task, is highly infectious. Doubt about whether participants can do it or work together co-operatively can have self-fulfilling prophecy tendencies, and is highly contagious. Be enthusiastic about the task and the group’s capacity to work well together.

Closing the Meeting

The closure of a meeting is a time to evaluate what has happened, share learning’s, express appreciation, and announce the lesson for the next session. Allow 10 minutes of your time together for closure.

About Me

George Anderson,MSW,BCD,CEAP is a Psychotherapist and anger management expert. He has Post Gradute training in Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy from Harvard University School of Medicine.
He is a Diplomate in the American Association of Anger Management Providers and a Fellow in the American Orthopsychiatric Association.